The Magic of the Moment

The Magic of the Moment

The Magic of the Moment

The Magic of the Moment

The Magic of the Moment

Your Ideal Venue

Selecting your wedding venue can be both fun and stressful. You may start out with many options, but when you take into account your budget, style, preferred vendors lists, availability, parking, and convenience of location, finding a great Chicago wedding venue goes from exciting to just plain difficult.

Making sure you fulfill your vision with the right location is important. However, while searching for that perfect Chicago wedding venue, you must also consider if these prospective locations will allow you to work with your chosen caterer.

Matching Your Caterer with Your Locale

Many Chicago wedding venues will provide you with a preferred vendors list. In other words, you must choose your caterer from this list if you want to have your wedding at that specific location. Sometimes your choices fit the bill for the menu and service you have in mind; other times, not so much. Choosing your caterer before you decide on a wedding venue, then checking out the event venues they have contracts with can prevent disappointment.

When matching your caterer with your wedding venue, you will want to have a style in mind. You might also think about the serving method you prefer. In order to pair your preferred catering service to your Chicago wedding venue, you will need to discuss any restrictions with the event manager beforehand. These include: Are open flames allowed for chafing dishes? Is there optimal kitchen space available for food preparation? Always ask your caterer if they are willing to do a site visit before the wedding, especially if they have not catered the venue before.

Ask for photos of previous weddings your caterer has done. Make sure they can produce the vision you have in mind for your big day in the space you have in mind, from the cuisine, to table setup, and even wait staff attire.

Finally, make sure venue restrictions do not add to your catering bill. For instance, maybe your caterer is licensed to provide alcohol and bartenders at their preferred venues, but cannot always provide alcohol at offsite venues. This can cost you more because you may get stuck hiring an outside bar service.

Food For Thought

Food For Thought is an experienced catering company that works personally with you to come up with the ideal menu, and our creative and talented staff will ensure all aspects of your wedding reception exceed your expectations. We are on many preferred vendors lists for various Chicago wedding venues, as well as having our own versatile event location-19 East, located in Chicago’s South Loop. Contact us to discuss your options today.